The days when you could rely on your internet provider to set up your home’s Wi-Fi networking solution are in the past. That's because your network has become the backbone of a connected home, used for communicating with friends and family, working remotely, and enjoying your favorite entertainment. How can you ensure the network in your Atlanta, GA home is up to the task? In larger homes, you need to have a robust, well-designed network to avoid constant hassles and dead spots. In this blog, we discuss some of the mistakes you want to avoid when designing a network for your home. 

Relying Solely on a Router

Many homeowners think a router is all they need for their home networking needs.  If you’re just trying to cover your home office that may work, but not when you want the network to span a large home with a myriad of connected devices. While you still want a router with large bandwidth capabilities, you want to make a managed switch the center of your network.

While a router sends out a signal throughout the home, your switch will only send the signal where it needs to go through a dedicated LAN (Local Area Network). A professional will find the best way to configure your LANs (by regions and types) to speed up network traffic. You can also use wireless access points to extend your network to hard-to-reach areas like your patio or pool.

Having Equipment Placed in the Wrong Location

Your routers and switches should be placed in a central location closest to where they will be used most often (media rooms, home offices, etc.). For wireless access points, you want to follow the opposite advice. You don’t want them to be clustered towards the center of a room or floor. Spread them out around the perimeter of the specific room, wing or floor that needs coverage. It’s usually when trying to find the right placement for equipment that generic networks go wrong. Make sure to speak with a professional that has experience designing reliable, large-scale networks.

Relying Too Much on Your Wireless Network

With more devices connected to your network every day, there’s no reason to make your Wi-Fi carry the load entirely. With a professional installation, you can stretch the reach of your hard-wired solutions, which will always offer a more reliable signal than wireless options. With wires hidden behind walls, you don’t have to rely on wireless simply because you don’t want a clutter of wires in the room.

Your Wi-Fi network is also inherently less secure than a hard-wired one since a third party can breach it. Your network switch can strengthen your security by creating dedicated VLANs for different types of traffic. For example, your smart security system should always have its own dedicated VLAN so it’s not affected if there’s a breach in another area of the network.

Not Having a Maintenance and Support Solution

Through your network switch, a professional can get remote access to your network to catch problems before they arise. Whether there’s a new software upgrade for your router or a faulty connection somewhere in the home, an expert technician will know as soon as it happens and, in most cases, be able to fix it remotely. Since there’s no need to make a house call, there’s less down time for your network and less hassle for the family.

In today’s connected world, your network is your home’s backbone. You want to make sure that your technology has a strong foundation with a professional installation. Want to learn more about how you can strengthen the network signal throughout your home? Contact your local BRAVAS partner.